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Looking at signing up for Escapees group at the balloon festival in October 2020. Any past participants have feedback on what it was like and is it worth it?

Balloon Fiesta HOP (Head Out Program) Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Option #1: October 2 - 7, 2020 Option #2 October 7 - 11, 2020 Option #3: Oct. 2 - 11, 2020 Balloons, balloons and more balloons! If this world premiere event is on your bucket list, join the Escapees RV Club HOP for the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Each morning, as dawn breaks over the Sandia Mountains, the skies will fill with 600 bright, beautiful hot-air balloons from all over the world. From its beginnings in 1972, the Balloon Fiesta has grown into the largest International Balloon Fiesta, with a 365-acre Balloon Fiesta Park and a launch field the size of 54 football fields (78 acres). It is the most photographed hot-air balloon festival in the world, with 886,307 attendees in 2019. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the only Balloon Fiesta where the "box effect" comes into play. The "box effect" is a unique wind pattern that helps pilots navigate their balloons in a vertical, rectangular path; allowing them to return to the launch field, or even landing next to your RV. The Dawn Patrol lifts off in the dark, with specially-fitted lights, to observe weather conditions at different altitudes, such as the wind speed and its direction. Upon approval, the balloons lift off in a mass ascension. The "Zebras," dressed in black and white, are the ones who coordinate the launching of the balloons. One of the most exciting events is the Flight of the Nations Mass Ascension, where balloonists wave their national flag during the launch. Even though there are always traditionally-shaped balloons, there will be various specialty shapes, too, and some of the most popular are the cow, sun, pig, stagecoach, clock, skunk, the Ladybug and the sweetest mother, daddy and baby bumblebees. The bumblebee's hands have Velcro, so when they touch in midair, it appears they are holding hands. When visiting any of the balloon pilots, remember to ask them for one of the trading cards, which will explain all the pertinent information about their balloon. This fiesta also hosts the Gas Balloons – America’s Challenge race, with the winner being the one that has traveled the farthest. Past gas balloons have gone as far as the East Coast and across Canada. You can track their progress on the Fiesta website. At dusk, you can see the Twilight Glow on the launch field. This is when the burners are ignited, filling the balloons with a bouquet of bright colors. Then, the nights will finish with an extraordinary display of fireworks. Escapees will have Boondocking, “rally style” parking and a private tent for inclement weather, socials, games and catered meals. There will be a considerable amount of walking, so please bring comfortable walking shoes, as well as binoculars and a camera to capture those once-in-a-lifetime special moments. Early arrival - Options 1 and 3 Due to the popularity of this event, we recommend early arrival for parking at the HOP location for Options 1 and 3 only. Early arrival is September 29, 2020. The cost for early entry is $22.50 per night up to the date of the HOP. While registering for the HOP, please let headquarters know which day you plan to on arrive early. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Three options will be offered for The Balloon Fiesta HOP. Early parking is not available for Option #2 Option 2 sites will not be available for early arrival at the HOP. If you are registered for Option #2 and want to arrive early, you may call the Balloon Fiesta for any additional parking (for any dates outside of the HOP event) and pay the Fiesta directly. You will be parked in the Fiesta camping area, but will need to move your rig to the HOP camping location, with the HOP arrival date and time for the Option #2. Option #1: You may purchase the first five days (arriving October 2 and leaving the morning of October 7), which will include the traditionally-shaped balloons, a special presentation by a Professional Hot Air Balloon Pilot and two balloon launch field entrance tickets per person, plus the activities below. Friday, Oct. 2 Options #1 and #3 Arrival Professional Balloon Pilot Presentation Announcements Meet and greet *Catered dinner Saturday, Oct. 3 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show, Dawn Patrol and Morning Glow Opening Ceremonies Mass Ascension AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational – Professional carvers America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race Inflation Announcements Socials – get together *Catered dinner Twilight Twinkle Glow™ America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Launch Laser Light Show AfterGlow™ Fireworks Show Sunday, Oct. 4 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show, Dawn Patrol and Morning Glow Mass Ascension Fiesta of Wheels Car Show Balloon Fiesta Pin Trading AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational – Professional carvers Announcements and social Balloon Glow Laser Light Show AfterGlow™ Fireworks Show Monday, Oct. 5 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show and Dawn Patrol Show Balloons launch Balloon Flying Competition begins AIBF Chainsaw Carving demonstrations Free afternoon Tuesday, Oct. 6 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show and Dawn Patrol Show Balloons launch Balloon Flying Competition begins AIBF Chainsaw Carving demonstrations Free afternoon *Farewell catered dinner for the Option #1 Wed., Oct. 7 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show, Dawn Patrol and Morning Glow Flight of the Nations Mass Ascension Balloon Flying Competition begins AIBF Chainsaw Carving Demonstrations – Professional carvers Option #1 - leaves Farewell Option #1. Safe travels! Rain or shine. Itinerary subject to change without notice Includes considerable walking; please wear comfortable walking shoes. *Special dietary requests cannot be accommodated. Prices for Option #1: October 2 – 7, 2020 Two-person rig: $1110.00 Each additional person in RV $755.00 One-person rig $999.00 Option #2: You may purchase the last five days (arriving the morning of October 7 and leaving on October 11), which will include the traditional shape balloons, the special shape balloons and two balloon launch field entrance tickets per person, plus the activities below. Wed., Oct. 7 Option #2 Arrival Free afternoon Announcements Meet and greet *Welcome catered dinner Thursday, Oct. 8 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show and Dawn Patrol Special Shape Rodeo Balloon Flying Competition begins AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational – Professional carvers Announcements and social *Catered dinner Special Shape Glowdeo Laser Light Show AfterGlow Fireworks Show Friday, Oct. 9 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show, Dawn Patrol Special Shape Rodeo – Balloon Launch Flying Competition begins AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational – Professional carvers Announcements and social *Catered dinner Special Shape Glowdeo Laser Light Show AfterGlow Fireworks Show Saturday, Oct. 10 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show, Dawn Patrol, Morning Glow Mass Ascension Balloon Fiesta Pin Trading (Group Tour Tent at the north end of Main Street) Music Fiesta (extra charge) AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational – Professional carvers Announcements and social hour *Farewell catered dinner Night Magic Glow Laser Light Show AfterGlow Fireworks Show Sunday, Oct. 11 *Catered breakfast Dawn Patrol Show, Laser Light Show Farewell Mass Ascension AIBF Chainsaw Carving Q&A End of HOP - Safe travels! Rain or shine. Itinerary subject to change without notice Includes considerable walking; please wear comfortable walking shoes. *Special dietary requests cannot be accommodated. Prices for Option #2 October 7 – 11, 2020 Two-person rig: $1095.00 Each additional person in RV: $745.00 One-person rig: $989.00 ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­____________________________________________________________ Option #3: Register for the entire stay of the Balloon Fiesta HOP, which will include four tickets per person, entrance into the balloon launch field, plus the activities below for ten days and nine nights. Friday, Oct. 2 Welcome to the Balloon Fiesta HOP! Balloon Pilot presentation Announcements - meet and greet *Catered dinner Saturday, Oct. 3 *Catered breakfast Dawn Patrol Show, Morning Glow, Laser Light Show Opening Ceremonies Mass Ascension AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational Announcements and social *Catered dinner Twilight Twinkle Glow™ America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Launch AfterGlow™ Fireworks Show Sunday, Oct. 4 *Catered breakfast Dawn Patrol Show Morning Glow, Laser Light Show Mass Ascension AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational Fiesta of Wheels Car Show Balloon Fiesta Pin Trading *Catered dinner Balloon Glow AfterGlow™ Fireworks Show Monday, Oct.5 *Catered breakfast Dawn Patrol Laser Light Show Balloons launch Balloon Flying Competition begins AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational Tuesday, Oct. 6 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show, Dawn Patrol and Morning Glow Balloons launch Balloon Competition Flying Begins AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational *Farewell catered dinner Wed., Oct. 7 *Catered breakfast Laser Light Show, Dawn Patrol and Morning Glow Welcome to the Balloon Fiesta HOP! Announcements and social hour *Catered dinner Thursday, Oct. 8 *Catered breakfast Dawn Patrol, Laser Light Show Special Shape Rodeo Balloon Flying Competition begins AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational Announcements and social *Catered dinner Special Shape Glowdeo AfterGlow Fireworks Show Friday, Oct. 9 *Catered breakfast Dawn Patrol, Laser Light Show Special Shape Rodeo – Balloon launch Competition Flying begins AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational Announcements and social *Catered dinner Special Shape Glowdeo AfterGlow Fireworks Show Sat., Oct. 10 *Catered breakfast Dawn Patrol Show, Morning Glow, Laser Light Show Mass Ascension AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational Balloon Fiesta Pin Trading Music Fiesta (Extra charge) AIBF Chainsaw Carving Invitational Announcements and social *Farewell catered dinner Night Magic Glow AfterGlow Fireworks Show Sunday, Oct. 11 *Catered breakfast Dawn Patrol Show Morning Glow Farewell Mass Ascension Prices for Option #3: Oct. 2 - 11, 2020 Two-person rig: $1355.00 Each additional person in RV: $855.00 One-person rig: $1245.00 Registration also includes: · Prizes · Your HOP hosts · Souvenir HOP name badge · All gratuities · Locations to visit that are optional. Some past options were Santa Fe, Old Town and the Botanical Gardens. And much more! Rain or shine. Itinerary subject to change without notice *Special dietary requests cannot be accommodated. Payment options: Pay half of the fee upon registration and then make monthly payments. The balance is due 60 days before the event. Ask the HOP department about this payment option. Note: Non-Escapees members are welcome to attend, too. We’d love to have you! There is a $50.00 charge for nonmembers on land HOPs. However, if you join Escapees, the $50.00 will be waived. To join the Escapees RV Club, please call 936-327-8873. To register for this HOP, contact: The HOP Department 936-327-8873 For more information, email registration@escapees.com Confirmation email Once registered, a confirmation notification will be sent via email regarding pertinent information, such as RV Park address, tour dates, times, etc. Please, make sure Escapees has your current email address on file. If you do not receive it, please check your spam files, or email us at: registration@escapees.com. Trip cancellation and interruption Insurance We highly suggest that you protect your investment on this HOP by purchasing trip insurance. If you or a family member has a pre-existing medical condition, you might consider purchasing cancellation insurance. Insurance can also help with covering other unexpected emergencies while on the trip. You can get more information about this insurance, such as pricing and coverage, by calling the Escapees Travel Agency, 855-757-8881, or email them at: eta@escapees.com. This insurance should be purchased within 10 business days of registering for the HOP. HOP Cancellation Policy If an attendee cancels a HOP, • 1 Business Day from Booking: Full Refund · More Than 90 Days to the event: 75% Refund · 30 – 90 Days to the event: 25% Refund · 30 Days or Less to the event: No Refunds See you at the HOP! Lisa Koca HOP Director www.escapees.com/hops www.facebook.com/escapeesrvclub then, click on the event page For Cruise HOPs, call: Escapees Travel Agency 855-757-8881 (Toll-Free) Escapees RV Club 100 Rainbow Drive Livingston, Texas 77351 936-327-8873 www.escapees.com